Description: Online Tutor Nicola describes how we can make studying more manageable by using the magic of post-it notes to enhance our absorption of big ideas.
Post-It Notes are wonderfully useful. They can be used to remind people about chores or errands. You can stick them on a door to warn people about that all-important online interview on the other side.
Yet students do not often reach for these little pieces of sticky paper when it comes to revision. I want to change that. Post-It notes are versatile, usually cheap, and so easy to use!
Moveable Mind Maps
Mind maps are a fantastic technique used to get to grips with bigger concepts and ideas. A mind map can help you identify the major themes of the book. You can then create branches of associated scenes or quotes. These maps are particularly useful for visual learners, or for anyone that cannot memorise all of that information at once!
Post-It notes are a great alternative to the usual A3 sheet of paper. You are only constrained by the size of the surface you choose and the number of notes you have. They are also the best option when brainstorming with others in a study group. Here, you are able to add ideas or remove mistakes without getting on top of one another.
At the beginning of your revision, find an empty wall of your choosing. As with most mind maps, start with the primary concepts at the centre and work your way outwards. If you need to move an idea to a different section, move the Post-It note to where you need it. This also works if you need to make more space, without leaving blue tac marks!
Different colours will also improve your recall and your ability to understand these ideas. When studying a book, you could use yellow notes for the themes and then green notes for the quotes.
If you need to make a new mind map, take a picture of your current one. This allows you to deconstruct and store the old Post-It notes. When you come to revisit that topic, you can then challenge yourself to re-recreate the mind map from memory and then use the picture to double-check.
Memorise, memorise, memorise
A lot of subjects require you to memorise a whole lot of information, such as cases for Law, quotes for English or vocabulary for French. Yet a lot of people (like me!) would struggle to just sit down and read, then re-read, long lists of information. So, we turn to the magic of Post-It notes.
Let’s look at Of Mice and Men. Once you understand the bigger picture of your subject, like the major themes of the book and the important context, you want to focus on consolidating information and memorising the smaller details. Being able to use quotes to back up your arguments will likely bump up your marks a fair bit!
Write several quotes on each Post-It note. Then, stick them all over your room! Stick them on objects that you use regularly or in spaces that you often have to pass. If your parents are willing, you could even spread to other rooms of the house and have one subject for each room.
This technique encourages you to read the Post-It note whenever you come across one. Open the door? Post-It note! Turn on the light? Post-It note!
It means that you constantly revisit the information throughout the day, but with less risk of you being bogged down and overwhelmed by dozens of quotes at once. For people that prefer short bursts of revision, it is a great technique. Even those that are able to concentrate for longer blocks of time can benefit from constant little reminders.
If you like to challenge yourself a bit more, you can write half a quote on one side and the rest on the other. Then, when you read the quote, you have to try to finish the other half yourself. It gives your brain another little kick and makes sure that you’re actually taking in the information!
And that’s a wrap for the magic of Post-It notes! There are so many ways to use them, I’m sure you can come up with lots of ideas of your own.
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